India Claims Widespread Trafficking of Students via Canada to U.S.
Indian authorities are probing alleged human trafficking links involving Canadian colleges and entities in Mumbai
India, Canada, U.S., Human Trafficking, International Students, Mumbai
OTTAWA: So, there’s this serious situation going on. Indian law enforcement is looking into claims that some colleges in Canada are linked to groups in Mumbai that are allegedly smuggling students into the U.S.
They recently put out a statement saying they found some pretty alarming evidence during searches in multiple cities. It’s all about human trafficking, which is a big deal.
Now, these allegations haven’t been proven in court yet. And it seems like the Canadian government and some college officials haven’t responded to requests for comments just yet.
Interestingly, this investigation kicked off after a tragic incident where a family was found dead near the Canada-U.S. border back in January 2022. They were trying to cross over, and it didn’t end well.
Last month, a jury in Minnesota found two guys guilty of bringing people into the U.S. illegally. One of them was a driver, and the other was coordinating the whole operation. Sadly, only seven out of eleven migrants made it across.
It turns out that the family involved in the tragedy wasn’t related to the accused, but it still raised a lot of questions. The investigation is now looking into a guy named Bhavesh Patel, who allegedly helped arrange their travel.
Each family member supposedly paid a hefty fee to cross over, which is just wild. They’re calling this whole case the Dingucha case, named after the village in India where the family came from.
Indian officials have been searching places in Mumbai and other cities, trying to get to the bottom of this. They claim that some agents were helping students get into Canadian colleges, but instead of attending classes, many were crossing into the U.S. illegally.
It’s a mess, really. They say around 25,000 students were referred by one group and over 10,000 by another to colleges outside India every year. That’s a lot of students!
There are also claims that about 112 Canadian colleges have agreements with one of these entities. It’s unclear if any schools are linked to both, though.
A former police official involved in the investigation mentioned that they looked at a lot of paperwork and reached out to villagers for help. It took nearly three years to piece everything together.
They even got assistance from Canadian and New York police. It’s a complicated situation, and there’s a lot of tension between India and the U.S. right now over border security and other issues.
So, if you’re thinking about studying abroad, it’s crucial to go through the right channels. There are legal ways to do it, and it’s better to stay safe.
With all this going on, it’s clear that the situation is pretty serious, and it’s something to keep an eye on.